South America Land of Color and Contrast
Home to: *The world s largest river system *The longest mountain chain, and second tallest mountains *Earth s driest desert *One of the world s great grassland areas the Pampas
South America --- The world s 4 th largest continent. --- It is made up of 12 independent countries and 2 territories. (French Guiana and the Falkland Islands)
Without Alaska and Hawaii, Brazil is bigger than the continental U.S. It is so large (5 th largest in the world), that it touches every other South American country except for Ecuador and Chile.
Brazil does not touch Ecuador or Chile Controlled by Great Britain Brazil is very dominant in South America, taking up about ½ the land, and having nearly 50% of the population.
South America is frequently subdivided into three subregions. The North The East The West
Some South American Statistics
South America s population is mainly clustered near the coast, or in mountain valleys. The continent is home to over 400 million people.
Languages Spoken in South America
Catholicism is easily the largest religion in South America. In fact, the current pope is from Argentina.
Sao Paulo, Brazil The largest city in the Southern Hemisphere
Bogota, Colombia
Santiago, Chile
Lima, Peru
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Caracas, Venezuela
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Northern Region of South America Includes: 1. Colombia 2. Venezuela 3. Guyana 4. Suriname 5. French Guiana
At 3,212 feet Angel Falls is the tallest in the world. It is located in the nation of Venezuela.
Giant Anacondas Are Also Found Here.
Colombia is known for its production of emeralds, and Venezuela for its oil production. Guyana, Suriname, and French Guyana are also known for their plants and animals.
Eastern South America is usually considered to be the nations of: Brazil Paraguay Uruguay Argentina
Argentina, Uruguay, (and to a lesser extent Paraguay), have populations largely made up of European descendants. Brazil is more diverse with a larger number of people with African and Native American heritage.
The PAMPAS are the major grasslands of South America. They are comparable to the Great Plains of the United States.
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
An Argentine GOUCHO and a GOUCHA similar to an American cowboy/cowgirl. Argentina is a major producer of beef.
Soccer is wildly popular in South America, with perhaps Brazil being the most soccer-mad country.
Brazilians love to have fun, and many holidays are celebrated. The most famous, is CARNIVAL, celebrated right before the holy season of Easter. Members of the Catholic faith, and other Christian religions leading up to Easter, go through a 40-day period called LENT. During this time, believers are supposed to pray and fast, and even try to give up a bad habit. Before Lent begins, there is a time of celebration in many countries, the biggest being in Brazil.
The costumes are very colorful and exotic.
The countries of Western South America are dominated by the Andes, and include: Ecuador Peru Bolivia Chile
Western South America and the Andes have seen some fascinating cultures develop. One of them, the Nazca left behind some very interesting carvings in southern Peru.
The Inca were a very powerful Native American empire that collapsed after Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500s. The city of Machu Picchu is perhaps their most well-known landmark.
The Andes Mountains are the second tallest, and the longest chain of mountains on earth.
They are a younger chain of mountains as evidenced by their rough, jagged peaks.
Mount Aconcagua 22,841 feet in elevation Highest in the entire Western Hemisphere
At 12,500 feet in elevation, Lake Titicaca is the highest NAVIGABLE lake in the world.
The Atacama Desert on the west coast of South America is the driest on earth.
The Galapagos Islands are home to some of the most unique wildlife on the planet.
South America is loaded with rivers. The Orinoco drains a large portion of the north, while the Parana is a major river in the south.
The Itaipu Dam on the Parana River between Brazil and Paraguay is one of the largest producers of hydroelectricity on Earth.
Iguazu Falls, located on the border between Argentina and Brazil, are a world-famous series of falls that illustrate the drainage of South America s water toward the Atlantic Ocean.
This cross marks the spot where the headwaters of the Amazon begin. It is at a cliff in the Andes Mountains of Peru.
This is the world s largest water drainage area.
The Amazon is the second longest river on earth, and has more than 1,000 TRIBUTARIES. It is the largest water drainage area on earth. In fact, it drains more water than the next 7 largest rivers combined! The Amazing Amazon
Economics South America is loaded with a wide variety of natural resources. Larger countries such as Brazil and Argentina have been successful in using their natural resources to better their economies, and the lives of their citizens. Venezuela has benefitted from its large oil deposits, and Chile is the world s largest producer of copper.
The #1 Export of Each Country in South America
Agriculture Many countries rely on cash crops to support their economies. Some major South American cash crops include coffee, soybeans, bananas, citrus fruits, sugarcane, wheat, rice, corn, and cocoa. The raising of livestock such as cattle and sheep is also important.
South America is a major producer of citrus fruits, and Brazil leads the world in orange production.
Some farms are big estates owned by companies or families that produce large amounts of crops. Many people live on small farms that produce food for families or local markets.
Brazil and Colombia are among the top 10 coffee-producing countries in the world.
Deforestation DEFORESTATION, or the cutting down of the Amazon Rain Forest has been a cause of concern. To create more and better farmland a technique called SLASH-AND-BURN FARMING is used. Unfortunately, after a time, the ground is less fertile and more land needs to be cleared. It is estimated that about 10% or more of the rain forest is now gone.
Slash and Burn Farming
The rain forest contains a large number of the world s known plant and animal species, some of which are endangered. Some plants provide natural medicines for human ailments.
Why Does South America Matter to the U. S.? For much of early U. S. history, we really didn t have much to do with South America. The region conducted a lot of trade with Britain and some of the other major European powers. Our successful revolution did inspire many of the people of South America to revolt against Spanish and Portuguese rule.
Independence for South American countries happened in a similar way as the rest of Latin America. After being under colonial rule for about 3 centuries, the people wanted to govern themselves.
The physical geography of South America made it tough for unification to take place amongst many of the people of the different regions. Barriers such as rain forests and the huge Andes mountains prevented different peoples from unifying together, even when efforts were made. This lack of unity and difficulty in communication, sometimes resulted in unstable governments forming.
During the Cold War when the United States was very concerned about the spread of Communism around the world, we sometimes supported dictatorships that opposed Communism. These dictatorships often brutally mistreated people opposed to them, frequently imprisoning or murdering their opposition. Some leaders who eventually replaced the dictators were then not that friendly toward the U. S.
Today, some people have classified the U. S. and South America as having a love/hate relationship. A lot of South Americans enjoy U. S. culture, and are grateful for tourists who help boost their economy. However, some regard the U. S. with suspicion, and oppose the U. S. interfering with their internal business. Today, the U. S. and many other nations belong to an organization called O.A.S.
The Organization of American States It is an organization started in 1948 by 21 nations to create better relations between independent nations of the Western Hemisphere. Today, there are 35 members.
Six Key Goals of the O. A. S. Strengthen democracy Work for peaceful solutions to conflicts Defend human rights Encourage free trade Fight the illegal drug trade Promote economic development English Spanish Portuguese French